London's best Asian cuisine restaurants: Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and more

17 December 2019, 12:39 | Updated: 17 December 2019, 12:41

By Mared Parry

@maredparry

London has so much great food to offer that it can sometimes seem overwhelming, but we've done all the hard work for you.

There's an absolute plethora of incredible Asian restaurants tucked in every nook and cranny of London, so many that it can be hard to decide on just one.

However, we've done the hard work for you and rounded up the best dining experiences for Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese and every cuisine in-between.

Pho & Bun

Vietnamese restaurant Pho & Bun is located on Shaftsbury Avenue, near Chinatown and is an extension of the already popular Viet Eat in Holborn.

Their menu has an incredible range of innovative dishes, including the Chargrilled Pork Lollipops with Shitaake Mushroom and the Plum Glazed BBQ Spare Rib.

Prices are quite low for the authentic Vietnamese cuisine experience, with mains not setting you back any more than around £11.

Their Steamed Bao Buns and the BBQ Pork and Vermicelli Bowls are highlights on the menu, and their Pho and Noodle Soups are to die for!

The chicken and the red wine braised beef options are some of our favourites.

Robata

Robata is a Japanese restaurant based in the heart of Soho on Old Compton Street.

The word Robata refers to a method of cooking over hot charcoal, and the restaurant practices this, with an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs preparing your meals.

With an extensive dinner menu, there's something for everyone, whether you're after meat, fish or veggie options.

Although Robata is an independent, relatively small restaurant, the prices are incredibly reasonable for what you get, with mains coming in at around £16 on average, and startes/'small plates' at around £7.

The J.Fried Chicken Bao Buns and the Pork Gyozas are two standout items on the main menu, and should 100 per cent be tried.

A highlight from the drinks menu is the Ume Ocha cocktail, which includes plum sake, pineapple juice, peach liqueur and Sakura tea foam. It's unlike anything you'll ever try.

Ping Pong

A London-based chain of restaurants, Ping Pong offers some of the best Dim Sum you'll ever consume.

With a menu as long as your arm, there's plenty to choose from and you'll need to be lifted out on a crane after trying their huge variety of dumplings, buns, rolls and more.

Highlights on the menu are the Honeyed Chicken Chilli Rice Pot, the Crispy Duck Spring Roll and the Spicy Chicken and Chinese Vegetable Dumpling.

They also have an extensive cocktail menu, with long, short and martini cocktails to choose from.

The Ping Pong, Strawberry and Passion and Lychee and Roses cocktails are standouts.

Ping Pong also have a brand new summer menu that introduces a number of new dim sum items and delicious salads.

It was created by Harley Street Nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert and the Ping Pong Dim Sum Master, Ruby Wu.

OPIUM London

Set just off Leicester Square, OPIUM London is a restaurant that's the definition of boujee.

OPIUM describe the food as Pan-Asian, as they have a gigantic range of incredibly extra sushi - they're worth getting just for the presentation - the salmon sashimi comes out on a mountain of crushed ice!

They also have a great selection of Spanish-themed dishes, and plenty of steak - there's a sharing steak which is an entire KILOGRAM for just under £100.

It's slightly on the pricier side, but it's worth it for a payday treat or a special occasion.

The eatery also has an adjoined nightclub if you fancy heading for a boogie on the dance floor to burn off those calories you've consumed.

Yauatcha City

Situated in the fancy Broadgate Circle near Liverpool Street, Yauatcha City is a huge restaurant with a stunning outdoor seating area adorned with cherry blossom - a perfect date spot.

If you fancy taking your other half, a great friend or a family member out for lunch, their Yum Cha set menu gives you a LOT for the price and takes away the stress of ordering - just pick a veggie or a meat option, your cocktail and wine/tea of choice and they'll take care of the rest.

The set menu offer runs on the weekend and there are three different price points: £58 per person for half a bottle of Henriot Champagne and the rest of the menu, £49 for the same but with a bottle of wine (you can choose red or white) instead of the champagne, and £47 for a selection of teas as the drink.

The full menu (varies for vegetarians) can be viewed here and includes:

The half-bottle or tea of choice, followed by a 'welcome drink' which can be one of five alcoholic or four non-alcoholic cocktails.

This is followed by the dim sum course, which includes four different items.

Then you'll receive a chicken bao bun and a pork belly bun.

For the main, you have a choice of six dishes, which range from stir-fry beef in black bean sauce to kung-pao chicken and even steamed chilli prawns. The main will come with pak choi and steamed rice to share.

To finish off the meal you'll have a choice of three deserts - you're spoilt for choice.

Kahani

Based in London's swanky Chelsea, opposite Cadogan Hall, Kahani offers up incredible Indian cuisine in an equally incredible venue, complete with a lit-up golden staircase down into the restaurant.

According to their site: "The finest seasonal and traditional British ingredients are brought to life with heady spices and culinary techniques associated with Indian cooking.

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"The result is the very best in Indian food, with meals so delicious diners will want to share – creating a sense of communal eating which for centuries has been the hallmark of superior cuisine."

It's on the pricier side but is absolutely perfect as a treat or for date night.

Some of the menu highlights include the Sirloin kebab chargrilled with truffle oil, ground fennel and royal cumin, the Tandoori broccoli, the Seared scallops and the Venison Keema.

Kahani's full menu can be viewed and you can book a table here.

P.F.Chang's Asian Table

This Leicester Square-based restaurant has a seemingly endless menu of tasty creations - nothing too fancy - but enough creativity to make them stand out.

With a very reasonable price point (mains are around £10) you can't go wrong, and options such as the Mongolian Beef, Ginger Chicken Broccoli and Lo Mein Noodles will have your mouth watering as soon as you read the menu.

The menu itself is a bit of an attraction, as you're able to see images of everything on offer before you commit to it - definitely helpful for the indecisive diners among us.

If their incredible mains aren't enough to draw you in, their Pork Dumplings to start will blow your mind, as will their desserts, made in their own Pasty Lab in the basement.

They regularly make innovative new additions to the menu, such as a White Chocolate Bomb, a Rhubarb and Gingerbread Trifle, and a Flourless Chocolate Cake.